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Growth spurt or something else?

I can not figure out what is wrong with my little boy. He is 14 months old and just wants to nurse nurse nurse! My nipples are so sore and I have been up almost all night with him for the past week. He's fine and happy during the day....a little extra nursing and pretty clingy. I'm pretty sure he's not sick. He eats well, but maybe I'm not feeding him enough solids? He snacks all day and has three meals....but doesn't really have structured snacks.

He always is trying to pull my shirt down and many times when he is nursing he will change sides about 50 times if I let him. I want to put a stop to both of these things, when I tell him no he gets incredibly sad. Yesterday I gave in and let him nurse at pickup from daycare (usually he has no problem waiting until we get home).

Every time I unlatch him he freaks out. I've been giving him infant pain reliever - I'm not sure if teething is bothering him...but I can't see any teeth trying to make their way through at the moment. I need advice. We don't co-sleep normally, but I have been taking him to bed with me at times this week just to nurse and hopefully catch an hour or two of sleep. He doesn't sleep well in our bed and sleeps much better alone in his crib.

What can I do? I love nursing him but I need to do something to fix this.

Re: Growth spurt or something else?

Hi kevins-mom, this is normal behavior for a toddler this age - many mothers describe their young toddlers as "nursing like a newborn again" - which after the distractible nursing period of the older infant can be quite a change! My LO is about the same age as yours and behaving very similarly. Teeth, comfort, growth spurt - who knows? I just try to roll with it. I don't know that it needs to be fixed; I think it's more of a phase, that, like everything else, eventually passes. However, I do think distraction can help - so maybe trying to get out of the house or trying some new activities to try to get him thinking about something other than the breast, at least briefly!

Re: Growth spurt or something else?

I think you're right, I'm thinking teething too. His teeth are a little backwards and slow coming in, but he does not have his canines yet. He has his side incisors, and one of his two front teeth came out last week giving him a total of 5 teeth.